The stars that guide us
by Vergina-spva
Summary: After a drunken fight, Shanks learns something about the stars. He'll always remember it. Shanks/Buggy, three part story, set in three different times (all canon world). Written for the Share-the-love Month 2016.
1. Chapter 1

_This story was written for the Share-the-love Month 2016, hosted by the wonderful Aerle and Myladyday. Week three's theme was Stars.  
_

 _This story will be in three parts/chapter, I'll upload one chapter a day. The first part is set in the time Shanks and Buggy were still part of Roger's crew, the second part is set at the end of the Marineford arc, the last part is set somewhere in the future._

 _Have fun reading, and please don't forget to leave a review, however small it might be. They are what make authors keep writing!_

* * *

They were drunk and they were fighting. What else was new. The Oro Jackson lay near a small island and would stay there until sunrise. So Shanks and Buggy had snuck off to the village, nicked a bottle of booze, or two, and ended up fighting in a field somewhere between the ship and the village. They tumbled down a small hill while trying to punch each other as much as possible. Both their punches mostly missed target.

"It's all your fault, you flashy bastard!" Buggy yelled as he knocked Shanks' hat off.

"Oi!" Shanks made sure to grab the straw hat before they rolled too far away from it. "It's your own damn fault you stupid clown! You shouldn't have been so nosey!"

"Who has a big red nose?!" Buggy roared, anger flaring up in his eyes. If he wasn't pissed before, he sure was now.

They tumbled one more time until they came to an abrupt stop, knocking the air out of Buggy's lungs and landing Shanks on top of him. The latter lifted himself on his elbows and smirked. "You have." Shanks saw Buggy getting angry again, but interrupted him before he could say something. "But I like it," he said, and pressed a short kiss on Buggy's nose.

Buggy was too stunned to say anything, and his face became the same color as his nose. After a silence that seemed to last forever, Buggy finally found his voice back. He didn't sound angry anymore, more embarrassed. "Get off me, moron."

Shanks smiled and rolled off Buggy to lay on his back beside him. "You're an idiot."

Buggy huffed. "Asshole."

They lay on their backs on the soft grass for a while, saying nothing, just watching the night sky. After a while, Shanks opened his mouth again. "Buggy, have you ever thought about the stars?"

"Why would I think about stars?"

Shanks chuckled. "Well, have you never wondered what they are?"

"They're flashy," was Buggy's answer.

 _Of course_ , Shanks thought. "Yeah, but are they just some lights someone far away hung up, or some god or something? We can use them to navigate, but what are they?"

"They're not just some flashy lights someone put on, idiot." Buggy grinned. How could Shanks not know this? "They're the ghosts of deceased sailors. Some say they're deceased Celestial Dragons, but… probably only the Celestial Dragons themselves. No way they would help us navigate."

Shanks snorted in agreement. "So they're deceased sailors huh?"

"And they're flashily helping us to find our way," Buggy concluded.

"They sure do," Shanks hummed. "So you think we'll end up there too, when we go?"

"'fcourse." Buggy looked at Shanks from the corner of his eyes. "At least _I_ will, I'm not sure you'll be able to reach that high."

* * *

 _TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

_As said, this part (which is the longest part) is set at the end of the Marineford arc, when Shanks arrives to end the war._

* * *

"What did you just say?!" Buggy yelled while his body burst into multiple pieces, his hands grabbing Shanks' cape. "You lied about the treasure map?!"

Shanks' face looked serious, as he was probably worrying about Luffy's wellbeing, but when he looked at Buggy, his mouth turned into a smile. "I just said that in the spur of the moment, Buggy! It's been a while, huh?"

Buggy lost it. "Cut the 'it's been a while, huh?' crap!" he said, mimicking Shanks' words. "Don't forget I have a reason to be mad at you, Shanks!"

Shanks seemed to be thinking. "What's that?"

"Don't forget about it!" Buggy yelled in disbelief. "If you hadn't surprised me at that time, I wouldn't have lost the treasure map and eaten a Devil Fruit!" He couldn't help but cry at the thought of what could have happened if Shanks hadn't done that.

"Is that what happened?" Shanks said way too casually for Buggy's liking.

Buggy turned to face Shanks again. "Thanks for that great reaction… I've always hated that about you!" He couldn't stand this guy. "As soon as we're reunited you take advantage of me again! You said you were here to stop a war or something, but I can start a war with you right now if you want!"

Shanks smiled. "I understand, so just relax," he said, giving him his most charming look, after which he walked away.

"What?!" Buggy said, retrieving his hands from Shanks' clothes. He knew exactly what that bastard was doing! Trying to calm him down with pretty words and pretty looks. But wait a minute, if he would stay with Shanks, he could get off this island safely, without the marines or other pirates trying to pull some kind of stunt.

Buggy watched how Shanks spoke to all the pirates and marines on the battlefield, asking them to stop fighting. He even challenged everyone who still wanted to fight, to challenge him and his crew! Buggy couldn't believe it. When had Shanks become so much cooler than him? He shook his head. His own true potential lay still in front of him. The whole world knew his name now, and they would certainly gain even more respect for him in the future.

After the marines agreed to leave the burial of Whitebeard and Ace to Shanks, and everyone started to collect their wounded and deceased friends, Buggy saw his chance and hurried towards the red haired captain. "Oi, Shanks."

Shanks turned around. "Oh, Buggy, you're still here?"

"Where else would I have gone?!" Buggy yelled, but took a deep breath to calm down. "Let's say I give it a rest for now, what you did to me. Do you think you could give me a lift off this island?"

Shanks smiled. "Sure, you can come on my ship."

"Captain Buggy, you're so cool!" the crowd behind them cheered. "We'll follow you for the rest of our lives!"

Buggy, who had almost forgotten about them already, turned around with a big grin on his face. "Good to hear! Red Hair just said we can travel on his ship for a while!" he yelled at his followers, who looked in awe at him.

"Wait, all of them?!" Shanks said, a little shocked. "That's about half of Impel Down!"

* * *

It was long dark when they reached open sea again. Shanks and Buggy had made an arrangement where a small part of Buggy's followers could come aboard Shanks' ship, while the others were spread over the ships that followed them.

Finally, everyone – except the doctors – had a moment to breathe and finally relax a little. A lot of them were happy they had escaped Impel Down _and_ Marineford, but it was not the right time for a party, especially since Marco and some other Whitebeard Pirates were also on board. Even Buggy had the right mind not to celebrate. Besides, he wasn't even in the mood; Ace had been a friend of his as well.

A lot of them were just sitting on deck, looking over the ocean or at the night sky. Some were talking quietly, others were alone with their thoughts.

"Look how bright the sky is!" one of Buggy's followers mentioned in awe. "There are so many stars. I don't think I've ever seen so many stars at once."

Some of them hummed in agreement as they stared at the sky above them.

"That's because a lot of sailors lost their lives today," Shanks voice sounded from right behind Buggy.

Buggy turned around and couldn't help but smile. "So, you remember," he said quietly.

"Of course I do," Shanks answered. He too, had a small smile on his face as he remembered that night, all those years ago. "I wasn't _that_ drunk."

Buggy snorted. "You were pretty drunk," he said, as he slowly let his hand part with his body to lay it on Shanks' hip, trying to push him a little closer, but without being noticed.

"I was," Shanks agreed. "Those were good times, weren't they?"

"Well, 'good' is an overstatement. I constantly had to deal with you," Buggy said, but couldn't really get angry at the thought of those times anymore.

Shanks lay his hand on Buggy's, surprising the latter with the fact that he _did_ notice his hand. Shanks took an almost unnoticed step towards Buggy. "And I had to deal with _your_ face all the time."

"What, is something wrong with my nose?!" Buggy said, getting angry after all.

Shanks chuckled. "No, nothing at all."

"It's just big and red."

* * *

 _TBC_

 _(Please leave a review, however small. It makes me feel like I'm not writing this for nothing but myself)_


	3. Chapter 3

_This is the last part and is set somewhere in the future._

 _It turned out really short, I'm sorry._

* * *

They had just made it through another storm. It wasn't as easy anymore as when they were younger, but Shanks would never admit that out loud. He wasn't getting old. Nevertheless, the most seasoned crew members of the Red Hair Pirates had to take some time to get their breath back.

The clouds drifted away, revealing the first few stars of the evening. Even though it was already dark, there was still a News Coo that found them. It dropped a newspaper that Benn caught it perfectly.

Shanks closed his eyes, just enjoying the silence of the ocean for as long as it lasted. They should reach the next island soon though. Hopefully the weather would be a little calmer there.

It didn't take long before Benn broke the silence. "Captain."

The cautious tone of his voice alarmed Shanks. He looked at his first mate with worried face. "What is it? Something about Luffy?"

"Not Luffy…" Benn answered as he handed the newspaper over to Shanks.

He saw the picture, so it was immediately clear who the article was about. And when he read the headlines, only two words came through to him. 'Buggy' and 'dies'.

He stared at the newspaper for a while, saying nothing. He hadn't seen Buggy in a while, but it still hurt to learn about his death. Buggy had always held a special place in his heart.

He folded the newspaper, and without looking up, gave it to Yasopp. He knew he would be curious to see what this was all about, but Shanks couldn't immediately talk about it. He stood up to find an empty place on the ship, where he could be alone with his thoughts for a while.

He looked over the ocean, wind blowing through his hair. When he noticed the reflection of the stars in the water he looked up at the sky.

"So you're one of them now, eh, Buggy?" He said softly, looking to see if he noticed any new stars. _I wonder which one you are._

"The most flashy one," he heard Buggy say inside his mind.

Shanks couldn't help but smile. He'd probably say something like that. But Shanks looked again, and his sad smile turned into a grin. "I bet you're that big red one."

Only then a tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

 _The End_

 _(Please don't forget to leave a short review)_


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